PPS
by A Green Crayon
Summary: Kaito learns something interesting about the detective of the West.


**_Shonen-ai_**

* * *

Kaito's face was scrunched up in serious, deep concentration. One free hand was placed on the cold metal of a giant vault, ear pressed next to the lock as he slowly rotated it with the other. He bit at his tongue absently as he worked. It shouldn't be too much longer now. He had went through several combinations already. It was only a matter of time.

" _Kaitou Kid's arrival time addressed in the letter sent directly to Jirokichi Suzuki is almost upon us! How will he escape this fortified complex?!"_

Ah, but he was already taking too long it seemed. The news stations outside the corporate building he was in were getting antsy. Sitting in their helicopters shouting their broadcasts must be so tiring. He felt for them, truly. He could hardly get enough of himself either.

And then he heard the magical note, a lovely _click._

"Four times to the left to forty-six... Three times to the right to twenty-three... Two times to the left to sixty-eight..." he mumbled, committing the information to memory.

Maybe it was cheating, but he had to have a few tricks up his sleeve. Just enough to be a few steps ahead of his favorite detectives and the oh-so eager inspector, Nakamori. Besides, he wouldn't steal anything _now_. Just the lock combination.

And _boy_ were there one too many detectives present today.

There should be a law against having too many brainy, detail-anal nerds in one room. Kaito thought so. Mostly because they were far too detrimental to the plans of innocent thieves that were just trying to steal priceless jewels. He'd give them _back_. They didn't have to make such a fuss about it. Did make it fun though.

As he recalled from Jii-chan's intel, nearly all the detectives were making an appearance for his heist tonight. Which, incidentally, had been a personal challenge to his person, the only reason he was showing up. Hakuba would, of course, be there. That wasn't too much of a surprise. Then there was his " _natural enemy._ " The great, pint-sized Shinichi Kudou.

Kaito wouldn't lie, he was a bit nervous about that one. What with his crazy soccer balls and even crazier _shoes._

Then there was that one detective. The one from the West, as he recalled, visiting said pint-sized nerd apparently.

He didn't know too much about the Osaka boy genius, but according to his sources, the two made quite the devastating, crime-stopping pair when they were both together.

Which brought him to where he was now, standing in front of the vault to be stolen from with fifteen minutes to spare. It always paid to be prepared. In preparation for tonight's heist, he was making sure that everything would go off without a hitch. They were three, and he only one, little, measly thief, after all.

That, and he always _loved_ watching those great minds go to work. It was like releasing a bunch of rats into a maze. Only the best would find the end.

Kaito chuckled deviously to himself as he spun the dial with his gloved hand before backing away from the vault. That's the last preparation down. Now all that was left was to execute the plan.

Kaito walked around the filing cabinets to get to the door of the storage room he was in, dressed as a member of IT to blend in without arousing suspicion when he entered the building the first time. He had pretended to be a part of the security systems team. Had been pretty easy to sneak in.

He placed his hand on the knob of the door to turn it, but stilled immediately at the sound of a voice.

"Do ya really think he'd come up here before his heist's appointed time?" it said.

Kaito froze in place and held his breath. He vaguely recognized that voice. It was strongly accented.

"It's a possibility that I find worth exploring. No doubt Kaitou Kid's heard about all the detectives that'll be crawling around the place besides the police. He'll probably tamper with something beforehand. He usually does anyway."

He _definitely_ recognized that one. _Damn it_ , that was Kudou Shinichi.

"Welp, you're the expert. I'm just the consultant."

There was a dull, sarcastic laugh in response to the statement. Kaito felt like panicking.

He spun around, and braced his back against the door, spreading out his arms like a human barricade. _Shit_ they were coming to check out the room no doubt. And now he was just a _little_ bit trapped. His hang-glider wasn't on his person, so escape through the window wasn't an option. The two of them sounded as if they were at the end of the hallway, making escaping without them noticing seem a daunting task. He could always attempt hiding, but aside from the minor tinkering he'd done to the lock, he hadn't messed with anything else in this particular room. He didn't have enough time to do so now. Kudou Shinichi was comparable to the breed of a bloodhound. If any floorboard or ceiling panel was even slightly amiss, he'd be sniffed out for sure.

 _Think, think, think!_

"All right. I'm going to go check out the room the vault is in. You stay here," Kudou's voice said.

Kaito perked up a bit. They were separating?

"Oi, why do _I_ have to stay behind?"

" _Barou,_ do you see anyone else on this floor? It's been completely evacuated of all the office employees and anyone else that might be here. This lobby is a good vantage point of all the rooms on the floor. If you happen to see anyone exiting that isn't fun-sized, that'll be Kid. It'd be better if I went. He can't disguise himself as me."

Kaito's face lit up into a devilish grin as he pulled out a small capsule filled with sleeping gas. _That's what_ you _think, great detective._

"Yeah, yeah. I get'cha. I'll sit tight while you get all the credit. No problem."

"Well, if he knocks me out with sleeping gas, that honor will fall to you."

Kaito faltered. Was he really becoming that predictable? He supposed that was his trump card. Perhaps he should consider different methods.

"How kind of you, Oh Great Detective of the East."

He then began to hear the soft pitter-patter of tiny feet walking in his direction.

"I try."

Kaito began the process of setting up for his escape. As silently as a mere shadow, he moved away from the door to stand at its side. Once the detective opened the door, he would be in its blind spot. Pretty elementary trick, but one that would suffice.

He retrieved the capsule from his pocket and palmed it within his hand discretely. Eliminating one of them would greatly increase his odds of a smooth escape. Shinichi Kudou was his biggest threat, either way. As long as he could get by him, the other detective standing guard at the end of the hall wouldn't be too much of a problem. Not if his name wasn't Kaito Kuroba, greatest thief to ever be.

"Oi, Kudou."

Kaito listened carefully. The sound of the footsteps stopped.

"Hm?"

There was a pause. If he was reading the atmosphere right, hesitation was keeping the other from responding.

"Just uh... just be careful, all right? I know that guy isn't known for hurting people, but just... be careful."

"That goes without saying-"

"No, I mean it. Don't do anything stupid."

"I won't-"

"I _know_ you're holding onto that antidote pill, Kudou. I saw that girl give it to you earlier."

"That's hardly relevant-"

"You're going to get yourself in trouble. What would happen if someone saw ya? I want'cha to be back to normal just as much as the next guy, but-"

"Hattori."

There was another lengthy pause.

"I'll be okay," Shinichi Kudou said. The next thing to be said sounded teasing. "Thanks for worrying about me though, dear."

Some profuse grumbling followed the words.

"Tch, why do I even bother? A brick wall would be more accommodating."

There was some chuckling from Kudou. "Speak for yourself. If I'm a brick wall, you're a steel one."

"Yada, yada."

Well this was enlightening. What was all that about? And what's this about a magic antidote?

The footsteps resumed their walk to the door he was hiding behind. Kaito sucked in a breath when they became louder as they drew near. They stopped once they were right outside of the room. Carefully, the door was opened, and it swung open slowly with a quiet creak.

He saw the familiar tiny form of one Shinichi Kudou as the boy walked inside the dark room. Kaito watched him survey the area with a critical gaze. The small boy walked around, eyes scanning the vicinity with a hawk-like swiftness. He walked over to the desk, knelt down to examine the floors, eyed the ceiling. Kaito waited patiently with practiced and controlled silence.

It was when the small detective approached the vault that he began to slowly make his way up behind the boy. The other began to mumble something.

"This... it wasn't on this number the last time I checked..."

Kaito resisted the urge to groan. Sherlock Holmes himself _would_ notice something that insignificant.

Shinichi Kudou spun around with purpose after noticing the nuance in the lock's placement, but Kaito was already in position. As their eyes met, Kudou's widened. Kaito merely grinned.

"Boo."

The detective was quick to go into action mode. He sucked in a breath and made to scream, probably for the detective out in the hall, as he lifted his arm and pressed a switch at the side of his watch. But Kaito was faster.

Kaito grabbed the small boy and trapped the words within his mouth as he placed his hand over the boy's face.

"I'm sorry, detective, but I don't feel like getting caught today."

The detective responded by biting his hand.

Kaito released him immediately, stepping away with a pained look and an, " _Ouch!_ " He rubbed gingerly at his hand as he glared down at his rival. "Brat," he muttered disdainfully. He better not get rabies.

The tiny detective smirked up at him. "I figured I'd find you here," he said much more calmly.

Kaito was still rubbing at his now sore palm. "Yeah, well, you do have a habit of finding me at the most inopportune times."

"It's a gift."

"Clearly," Kaito muttered.

The detective raised his watch. Its target was poised on him. He chuckled.

"What are you gonna do with that fancy gadget of yours, detective?"

Shinichi Kudou's smirk didn't wane. "I'm going to turn you in, of course. I'd say your capture is fair game even if the heist isn't for another few minutes, considering you've been sneaking around already."

Kaito lowered his hands and relaxed his shoulders.

"O~oh?" he threw out nonchalantly.

The smirk fell from the smaller boy's face. He looked calculating, like he was waiting for Kaito to make a move. Fortunately for him, he wasn't one to disappoint.

"Like I said, I don't really feel like getting caught right now. I'm a busy man, you know?"

With that, he exposed the capsule within his hand. Kudou's eyes widened in realization, and he made to hit the switch on his fancy dart gun, but Kaito was quick to react.

He took off the IT jacket and threw it at the small detective. As the boy scrambled to remove it, Kaito had already dropped the capsule to the floor.

By the time the gas erupted from the capsule, Kaito was already next to the door, farthest away from the smoke. He peered out of the room and around the corner. Seemed to be his lucky day, because the other detective was no where to be seen in the narrow view from the hallway. The other detective must have walked to some other part of the lobby. That would be fine. At least this way he could make his escape through one of the other rooms. He could use the slumbering, tiny detective as a distraction to get past.

Quietly, Kaito ran across to the room directly adjacent to the storage room. Once inside, he quietly closed the door behind him and sighed in relief. So far so good.

He scanned the room he was in now, and noticed it was some kind of office. There was a suit placed over the office's desk. He smirked.

Stripping out of the IT clothes, he put the suit on quickly, and flattened his hair of its spikes. Now all he needed to do was put on the face of a corporate scumbag, and he could stroll out the back and blend in with the crowd. Would be a walk in the park. The inspector and Hakuba wouldn't notice a thing.

Now, all he needed was some kind of mirror, and-

The door to the room he was in started to creak open.

Kaito stiffened. Perhaps not so lucky of a day for him after all.

"Kudou?" The voice with the strong Kansai accent called out. "I thought I heard something, you all right?"

Kaito was in the process of panicking, but there was little he could do at this point. And he'd just used up his last capsule of sleeping gas too. Now what could he do?

The door opened fully, and he looked over his shoulder at the detective in the doorway.

The other boy just stood there for a moment. Kaito did the same. He was screwed.

"Kudou...?" The detective mumbled uncertainly. Kaito blinked back at him in confusion.

Wait, what? _Oh. Ooohh._ Oh yes, this could work. This could work well.

Kaito turned around to face the other, and he scratched idly at the back of his head. His hand caught the edge of a rogue spike, and he quickly flattened it.

"Ah... yeah. Hi."

The dark-skinned detective walked closer with evident hesitation and suspicion. He was eyeing Kaito with the same hawk-like precision his oh-so annoying rival did. Kaito felt like a specimen in a petri dish. He fidgeted absently. The detective stopped once he was standing within an arms grasp of him. Kaito stuck his hands in the pinstripe pant's pockets, and tried to look as Sherlock Holmes-y as possible.

The detective continued to eye him so critically, the tension between them could have been cut with a knife. Kaito felt the comings on of a cold sweat as the tense silence stretched on. Eventually, the detective spoke.

"Where'd ya get the monkey suit?"

Kaito felt somewhat surprised, but he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb at the desk behind him. "Was on the desk."

The detective leaned to look around him at said desk. He straightened shortly after.

"Ahuh."

There was another long, awkward silence, and Kaito began to feel antsy. What was with detectives and staring contests anyway?

"So uh..." he started a bit awkwardly. "Did you see Ki-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a dark-skinned hand had snaked its way to his face, and roughly pulled at his cheek.

" _Ite-te-te-te-te-te..."_

The hand quickly retracted.

Kaito was in the process of rubbing his reddening cheek when he heard the other start to mumble.

"Kudou... is that really you?"

 _Freaking_ detectives. "No, it's the pizza delivery man. Would that be cash or credit?" he chirped, then he glowered at the boy in front of him. " _Of course_ it's me." His cheek felt like it was on fire. "Now come on, we need to find Kid. I saw him just a minute ago."

Kaito walked around the other boy irritably, but inwardly he was grinning. This was working perfectly. Now all he had to do was walk out with this Hattori guy, and he'd draw even less suspicion.

But as he was about to touch the doorknob, a hand that grasped firmly at his wrist stopped him. Kaito turned to look at the smirking face of Hattori Heiji, the West's best detective.

"That's all well and good, but how about we find Kudou first? Since, of course, you've already been found and what not."

On the outside, Kaito was calm and collected, on the inside, not so much.

 _Poker face, poker face, poker face._

"Barou," he mimicked. "I took the antidote. Now would you stop wasting time?"

Hattori looked surprised, but still a little doubtful. "...Probably just overheard us."

Kaito took a deep breath into his lungs, and exhaled into a sigh. He tried to make it sound somewhat gloomy. "Look, I know it was a stupid thing to do, but I figured I'd have a much better chance at apprehending that guy if I was myself."

The detective of the West looked slightly taken aback, but then he glared at him heatedly. "Damn right it was stupid. What are you thinking?"

Kaito gave a half-hearted shrug. _Hook._ "Can you blame me? How long has it been, really? Since I've been stuck as Conan Edogawa." When he noticed the detective looked surprised by the omission, he continued. _Line._ "It feels... nice... to actually be _me_ for a change. How was I _not_ suppose to use it?"

Kaito looked over to the detective with conviction. Hattori looked effectively stunned.

 _Sinker._

"...Kudou."

Kaito smirked at him, but kept it somewhat sorrowful. "It's only for a little bit, anyway."

The detective looked sufficiently convinced, and his grip slackened. "I guess so."

Kaito smiled at him more genuinely. It was with a practiced ease. "Let's go then. Kid couldn't have gotten too far."

The detective nodded, and Kaito opened the door to the office room. He walked out of it with a hidden smirk as Hattori followed behind him. A little bit rough of an exit, but it was working at least.

He got about halfway down the hall, quietly snickering to himself, when there was a tug at the back of his suit.

"You know, for a thief, you're a pretty good actor." He heard the detective say. Kaito looked over his shoulder with confusion on his face, but with an apprehensive feeling in his gut.

When he didn't respond, the detective walked around to stand in front of him, effectively blocking off his escape route.

"But you can't fool me that easily. There's no way Kudou woulda taken that pill."

Kaito stared at him a bit nervously, but kept most of it from showing on his face. He straightened his back a little more and stared his opposition straight on. "You seem so sure of that."

Hattori smirked. "I am," he said. "He wouldn't have taken the antidote here. _I_ wouldn't have."

Kaito faltered slightly, but managed to keep a hold of himself. "Well you're not me," he said with irritation.

"Don't gotta be," the dark-skinned detective countered. "Ya see, we detectives are a careful lot. And he even said himself,"

Kaito continued to stare, wracking his brain for possible solutions to the problem this detective of the West posed.

"You couldn't disguise as him with him being a child. Why would Kudou willingly change back if he already knew you would try to disguise as him? Just as you would have tried to disguise as me if I were to have gone instead of him. Seems a pointless risk, don'tcha think, Kaitou Kid?"

Kaito plotted inwardly, but on the outside, he absently raised his hand to point at the red mark on his face. "So, it's just a coincidence I happen to look a lot like myself?"

Hattori nodded. "Yep. Either that, or you look really close to Kudou with only having to disguise certain parts. Your cheeks not being one of them."

Kaito cursed inwardly. He had to think of something quick before the detective figured him out. He thought back on the conversation he had listened in on. As he ran through the short conversation in his head, a smirk found its way to his lips. The sight seemed to confuse Hattori, because the boy was staring at him skeptically now.

Kaito reached up, surprising the other boy. Before the detective could react or move away, Kaito grabbed him by the jaw, and moved his face forward while pulling the dark-skinned boy towards him. He took on a sultry smirk, and relished in the immediate, subtle reaction he got for his efforts.

A slight dilation of the pupils, a heightened temperature, a shifty gaze, and not to mention a slight elevation to the pulse. Now _what_ could that _possibly_ mean? He was no detective, but some things didn't need the mind of Sherlock Holmes to figure out.

"Tell me then, _Hattori_ ," he said in a smooth, low tone. He saw the detective's forehead start to form a sheen of sweat. Was it getting hot in here? "Where's your..." he said softly, enticingly, moving closer to the other boy's face. Hattori blanched, however that was possible. Kaito moved his hand to grasp the detective's cheek as he moved his mouth closer and closer to his face. Hattori began to look more and more panicked, but instead of going straight, Kaito changed direction, and moved next to the other boy's ear to mumble, "Evidence?"

Kaito saw Hattori visibly shudder, goosebumps fanning out from his ear to run down his neck and beneath the polo shirt he was wearing. The detective quickly jumped back from him after that, clutching onto his ear as if he'd just been bitten.

"W-what the hell, Kudou?" he stammered.

Kaito gave him a toothy grin. "Calm down, Hattori. I was just teasing you."

Hattori looked positively flustered. His hunch had been right. Boy was right twitterpated. He wondered idly what the detective would have done if he had actually bitten his ear. Maybe he should try it. For science.

" _My ass,"_ The detective of the West exclaimed. "Don't... don't _do_ that."

Kaito just grinned, and took an experimental step forward. When Hattori took a step back, he chuckled. Well this was an interesting discovery.

Kaito raised his hand to cup his ear as he leaned forward. "What was that? You want me to do what to your ass?"

The detective's skin went from a dark tan to a bright red in mere seconds. " _What?!_ No! I don't want you to do _anything_ ta my ass!"

Kaito's smirk widened. "Hmm... are you sure?" he asked with mock innocence. "You don't sound very sure."

Hattori threatened him with a raised fist. "S-Shut up, Kudou!"

Kaito raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. You just make it so easy."

The dark-skinned detective looked unsettled, but backed off. He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking defensive and a bit exposed. Kaito couldn't help but smirk at him. The boy practically had, _Okay fine, I like you, now just drop it,_ written all over his face. He definitely wasn't very good at hiding his emotions. Seemed he'd been harboring a crush on his rival for some time now to be that ruffled by an almost-kiss.

"Well then, shall we find this elusive thief? Or have you not had enough teasing?" Kaito asked of the flustered detective.

Hattori looked back over to him, unsure and skeptical, but eventually relented. "Fine."

Kaito gave him a pleasant smile, then he walked around the detective of the West to continue on down the hallway.

"Wait," the detective called out, grabbing his wrist as he passed.

Kaito turned around, feigning irritation. Though it wasn't particularly hard to do at this point.

"What?" he asked impatiently. The time of the heist was fast approaching. He didn't have much time left to squander.

Hattori looked in the process of controlling his raging blush. He then pulled his other hand out of his pocket.

"How 'bout this," he started. Kaito quirked an eyebrow curiously at him. Just what was he planning?

Raising the tanned hand, he pushed it roughly towards Kaito. Within it, a phone sat.

"If you really are Kudou, then touch this."

Kaito stared down at the cell phone in the other boy's hand. He eyed it like a snake waiting to strike, as it sat innocently and ominously all at once.

"If you touch it, I'll believe you one hundred percent, without a doubt, that you really are Kudou."

Kaito looked back up to Hattori's still slightly perturbed face.

"And if I refuse?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

Hattori looked at him with a suspicious look in his eyes and a light dusting of red on his cheeks. "Well that's obvious, isn't it?"

All right, not a problem. He could touch it. Yeah. He would touch the heck out of that phone.

Kaito pulled out a handkerchief from inside the pocket of the coat, and made to grab the phone. It moved away.

"Nah, not with that. Your hand. Your _bare_ hand."

Kaito felt another one of those cold sweats start to come on again. He coughed, clearing his throat as he looked to Hattori. "But uh, but what if it's... evidence?" That sounded like a detective-y thing to say. Definitely.

Hattori sent him a dry, unimpressed _look_. "It's my _phone_ , ahou. Touch it."

Kaito stared down at the phone. He swallowed down a nervous gulp.

He reached down, slowly. The phone taunted him with its sleek white surface. He pulled back.

"But what if-"

"Just touch it, damn it."

Kaito glared at the detective once more, then back down to the phone. He reached out with a shaky hand. His fingers were almost there, tips just a hair away, but then his hand suddenly changed course.

Instead, it went straight to the unwitting Hattori's shocked face. The detective was too surprised to properly react, and before he knew it, his face was a breath away from Kaito's, a hand curled within the dark strands of the back of his head.

"How about this," Kaito practically purred. Once Hattori finally gained some of his senses back, he attempted to struggle out of the grasp, but Kaito spun them around and pinned the detective against the hall's wall, pressing his back firmly into it. Hattori looked positively stricken. "I'll give you something better."

The phone fell to the ground at their feet with a clatter, and the sound seemed to snap Hattori out of his shock.

"N-no... That's okay. You know what? I changed my mind," The detective started to blabber.

Kaito moved closer, until their noses touched. He leaned his body forward, sandwiching the poor detective between himself and the wall. Kaito had never seen a person's face look so torn before. It was a cross between, _'oh, fuck yes please,'_ and _'OH GOD NO, WHAT'S HAPPENING? I'M NOT READY.'_

"O~oh?" Kaito singsonged in a sultry kind of way. He felt the body he was pressed against heat up rapidly at the sound. "You changed your mind, did you?" His eyes fell half-lidded, and he stared into the dark-skinned detective's conflicted, surprised ones. The detective began to nod vehemently. When the action caused their noses to rub together, Hattori promptly stopped.

"But..." Kaito went on. "I want you to believe one hundred percent, without a doubt, that I..." he moved his face just a little bit closer, until their lips grazed each other's as he spoke. " _Am,_ Shinichi Kudou."

Hattori seemed to adamantly refuse to say anything in response. Either that, or he was trying his damned hardest to prevent anymore lip friction. When he tried to wriggle out of Kaito's grasp, Kaito pressed further into him, effectively stilling the troublesome movement. A knee found its way between legs, an arm was leaned against the wall next to the side of the dark brown hair, and a hand grabbed onto a dark-skinned chin to keep it in place.

Hot breath ghosted over reddening lips, and Hattori let out some kind of noncommittal sound from the back of his throat. Kaito let out a deep, guttural sound in reply. It caused the dark-skinned detective to shudder.

"Trying to go somewhere?" Kaito asked in a silky tone. Hattori shook his head with the barest of movements.

There was a predatory gleam in his eyes, a feral tilt to his smirk. If these were the rats in the maze, then he was the cat. Oh how much fun he'd have.

"Do you want it?" Kaito asked with a husky edge. Hattori's eyes widened to an impossibly large degree. He looked about ready to hyperventilate. His face was practically steaming. "Your evidence, I mean." When Hattori relaxed a fraction, he continued. "I can give it to you. Any way you want."

Hattori really started to panic then. The detective started to struggle with renewed vigor. Kaito had to grab both his wrists and pin them against the wall. But what really ceased the movement was when he pressed his knee flush against the trapped boy.

" _I believe you! Now let me go!_ " The detective managed to say once he was able to turn his face away from Kaito's, but it came out several octaves higher, interestingly enough.

Kaito relinquished his hold on one of Hattori's wrists once he was satisfied the detective wasn't going to try to go anywhere. With his freed hand, he grabbed back onto the other boy's chin to move the face back towards him.

"Oh, no. I insist. Allow me to give you the proper evidence you need."

The detective of the West attempted to shake his head, but the grip on his chin was sturdy.

With rapidly growing trepidation on Hattori's part, and devious delight on Kaito's, he slowly began to close the slight gap between them.

Hattori's face took on a deer in the headlights look, his face turning a burning scarlet, his shock rendering him completely motionless, as Kaito's haughty smirk sealed itself to the frantic detective's reddened grimace.

As their lips did touch, Kaito's tongue darted from his mouth, wetting the detective's chapped bottom lip, and he angled himself to get more of a taste of what the dark-skinned boy had to offer.

Hattori seemed to finally give up after that, deeming escape to be a futile endeavor. His eyes became heavy, as they seemed to give in to the temptation to close.

Kaito tasted the dark-colored lips fully, and found himself delighted in every little shudder he received for every lick. He found it especially interesting when the detective of the West let out a high pitched whine when he bit the boy's upper lip experimentally.

It was with a reluctance that seemed to strike him at random when Kaito moved his lips away from the ones of one of his mortal enemies with a quiet smack. Though he concealed it behind another wide smirk as he let the detective go and stepped away.

Hattori's eyes opened, and he blinked away his cloudy, unfocused gaze.

Kaito examined him a moment—at his slumped form and red face. He wondered idly if he had enough time to try that again.

The detective was in the process of rubbing his eyelids with the palms of his hands when Kaito spoke again.

"Was that sufficient?"

Hattori stiffened, then he slowly lowered his hands to properly look at him. There was a pregnant pause, and a healthy blush marred the detective's face as he nodded mutely. He then looked away from Kaito to somewhere off in the distance. The detective's stare looked far away, like he was thinking.

Kaito didn't miss it when a pink tongue lapped idly at a bottom lip. He found himself smirking a little pridefully. Clearly no one was safe from his infectious charm.

"I think it's about time we go, isn't it?" Kaito asked of the boy who had yet to move from where he had been pinned against the wall.

The detective started, like a startled animal, and looked to Kaito swiftly. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought the boy had forgotten he was there.

Kaito chuckled at him. "Or perhaps you are content with becoming a fixture to that wall."

Hattori opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was an intelligent, "Uh..."

It was then that a loud yawn startled the both of them into looking quickly back down the hall. A groggy seven-year-old walked sluggishly in their direction, wiping at one of his eyes underneath the thick rimmed glasses he was wearing.

Kaito stared, Hattori stared. Kaito was staring in shock, mostly from the prospect of being inevitably seen through. Hattori seemed to be staring with more of a hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar look.

"Eh... what's going on?" One sleepy Kudou Shinichi inquired.

Kaito recovered from his shock to grin. "Oh, nothing much. Just up to no good, as per usual."

The detective of the West still couldn't seem to get his mouth to work. Maybe he broke it with that stolen kiss.

"Huh?" Kudou asked innocently. Then he finally got a good look at everyone present in the hallway. His eyes locked onto Kaito's. " _You!_ "

"In the flesh," Kaito said with a dramatic sweep of his arm.

The groggy detective of the East pointed eagerly at him as he quickly looked to Hattori. "Hattori, what the hell are you doing? _That's Kid._ Grab him or something!"

Hattori merely looked to the miniature detective with a lost expression, as if to say, ' _you want me to do what to who now?_ '

Kaito let out a delighted laugh as he said, "I'm sorry, great detective, but I've placed a spell on him."

Kudou looked back over to him, looking confused. Hattori looked mortified.

Eventually Kudou ignored Hattori in favor of reaching for his belt. Pressing a button, a soccer ball started to inflate at his waist. Kaito took that as his cue to exit the stage.

As he dashed down the hall, he called out over his shoulder. "I'll leave you two alone now. Seems you have a lot to talk about."

And with that, he was gone.

With the absence of Kid, Shinichi was left to grunt in irritation. He cursed loudly. He would have tried to kick him with one of his soccer balls, but he didn't trust his aim with how groggy he was at the moment.

He grumbled out a string of curses as he walked forward a ways. He glanced over to Hattori once he felt he could stand properly without losing his footing.

"Hattori," he called. The other detective looked decidedly absent. " _Hattori,_ " he tried again. The boy's attention snapped to him. Shinichi quirked a brow. "What the hell's gotten into you? Did you forget why we came here? That was Kid."

Hattori worked his jaw a bit. "I uh... I know that. _Now_."

"Well?" Shinichi prodded when it seemed like that was the extent of Hattori's currently limited vocabulary.

Hattori looked startled. Why in the world was he so jumpy? And what did Kid mean when he said the two of them had a lot to talk about?

"Nothing happened!" Hattori suddenly shouted.

Shinichi felt even more confused. "Okay?" Hattori quickly averted his gaze.

Shinichi shrugged, then gave the hallway a once-over before he was satisfied that Kaitou Kid truly did leave. He then walked over to the wall Hattori was and sat down beside him with a sigh.

"Well, I guess we'll get another shot at catching him when his heist starts," he mumbled as he lifted his arm to look at his watch. He gasped. " _What_? It's already twenty minutes past the time in the letter! How long have I been out?"

Hattori didn't seem fazed by this news. He glowered at him.

Shinichi leaned over, and snapped his fingers in front of his friend's absent face. "Oi! Earth to Hattori, you alive in there?"

Hattori's gaze focused on the hand in front of him, then he looked over at Shinichi.

"Huh?"

Shinichi turned away from him with a sidelong glare. "Jeez, he really did cast a spell on you," he muttered. It was then something caught his eye from his peripheral. He turned, and noticed a white card lying in front of him. He picked it up, flipping it over.

On it, Kaitou Kid's usual scrawl, accompanied by the trademark caricature. He read the note aloud.

"It appears my plans have been foiled for tonight. I will accept my losses with grace, and hope to reschedule tonight's event to a later date."

Shinichi noticed he vaguely had Hattori's attention. He read on.

"But I confess, I feel as though I haven't left completely empty handed this day, for I feel I have stolen something much more fun."

Shinichi lifted a brow in confusion. What did that mean? What did he steal?

From his side, he noticed a crack in Hattori's demeanor. The boy flinched.

"PS, to the boy with the red face, should you ever want anymore clues as to my identity, let me know. I would be more than happy to oblige. Perhaps you can seek me out with that impression I have placed upon your reddened lips. It's close enough to a fingerprint, right?"

There was a bit more to the note, but before he could read it, it was snatched from his hands.

"Oi, oi!" Shinichi called out, but Hattori was too busy trying to smash the white card up into the smallest ball he possibly could to listen.

Shinichi wasn't sure if he was hearing things, but he vaguely thought he heard a familiar laugh somewhere far off in the distance. A particular laugh belonging to a white clad thief that escaped gleefully into the moonlight.

 _PPS,_

 _I do happen to bear some striking similarities to that crush of yours. Perhaps once he acquires the antidote of the more permanent kind, we could indulge in the finding of more..._ evidence. _Just think of the possibilities._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Phantom Thief Kid_

* * *

 _AN:_

 _I can totally see Heiji having a crush on Shinichi, and I could totally see Kaito taking full advantage of it._

 _ANYWAY, I hoped you liked this random little one-shot. I thought it was pretty fun._


End file.
